1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a panel-mountable connector with a lever.
2. Description of the Related Art
A lever-type connector that is mountable on a panel is disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 9-245886. This connector has a male housing that is mounted in a mount hole of a panel and held in a standby state. The connector also has female housing with a lever. The lever can be operated to engage the female housing with the male housing.
Part of the female housing and the lever project at the outer side of the panel and require an operating space. However, the connector may be mounted, for example, near a hinge of a door panel of an automotive vehicle, and sufficient space cannot be assured around the body panel when the door is closed. Thus, it is difficult to use this type of standby-type lever connector.
Consideration has been given to connecting the two housings at the outer side of the door panel beforehand and then mounting the connected housings into the mount hole of the panel so that the housings and the lever are at the inner side of the door panel. In this construction, the lever is mounted pivotally on the male housing and is held at a standby position beforehand so that entrances of cam grooves of the lever open forward. The female housing then is fit lightly into the receptacle so that cam followers of the female housing enter the cam grooves. The lever then is pivoted toward a connection position to connect the housings.
The housings of the lever-type connector are concealed at the inner side of the panel, and it is difficult to detect by eye whether the lever has been rotated to the connection position. Accordingly, a demand exists for means to detect the position of the lever before completely mounting of the housings on the panel to prevent the connector from being mounted on the panel when the lever is not yet pivoted to the connection position.
The present invention was developed in view of the above problem and an object thereof is to prevent a connector from being mounted on a panel with connector housing partly coupled.
The invention is directed to a connector that is mountable in a mount hole of a panel. The connector includes first and second housings and a movable member movably mounted on first housing. The movable member is movable from a first position to a second position and cooperates with a cam mechanism on the second housing to urge the first and second housings into a properly connected condition. The connector further comprises interfering means that can be located in an opening area of the mount hole when the movable member is at the second position. The interfering means bulges out of the opening area of the mount hole when the movable member is at the first position, thereby interfering with an edge of the mount hole.
The housings are connected completely and the interfering means is in the opening area of the mount hole when the movable member is at the second position. Thus, the connector can be fit into the mount hole. On the other hand, the housings are connected only partly when the movable member is at the first position, and the interfering means bulges beyond the opening area of the mount hole. Thus, the interfering means catches the edge of the mount hole, and the connector cannot be mounted on the panel.
The cam mechanism preferably comprises a cam follower on the second housing. The cam follower can enter a cam groove in the movable member when the movable member is at the first position.
The connector preferably is a lever-type connector and the movable member preferably is a lever that pivots on a bearing of the first housing.
The first position of the movable member corresponds to a standby position and the second position corresponds to a connection position in which the housings are connected with each other.
The interfering means preferably includes at least one movable interfering portion on the movable member. The movable interfering portion is in the opening area of the mount hole when the movable portion is at the second position. However, the movable interfering portion bulges out of the opening area of the mount hole when the movable portion is at the first position, thereby interfering with an edge of the mount hole and preventing the connector from being mounted in the mount hole.
The lever preferably includes an operable portion and two parallel arms that project from the operable portion. The arms are supported pivotally on the first housing so that the operable portion is displaceable through an arc along an outer surface of the first housing between the first position and the second position. The moveable interfering portion is on an outer edge of at least one arm at a side opposite from the operable portion.
The interfering means may include at least one fixed interfering portion on an outer surface of the first housing and extending arcuately substantially along the displacement path of the operable portion without interfering with the operable portion. At least one of the movable and fixed interfering portions bulge out of the opening area of the mount hole when the movable member is at the first position.
The fixed interfering portion is in dead space between the outer surface of the first housing and a trace of displacement of the operable portion. Thus the fixed interfering portion does not make the connector larger.
The fixed interfering portion preferably comprises arcuate ribs that project from the outer surface of the first housing. The arcuate ribs preferably parallel the arcuate displacement path of the operable portion.
These and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will become more apparent upon reading the following detailed description of preferred embodiments and accompanying drawings. It should be understood that even though embodiments are described separately, single features may be combined to additional embodiments.